Brazilian Foreign Minister resigns amid Bolivia scandal

Brazilian Foreign Minister resigns amid Bolivia scandal
August 27, 2013 - 10:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota has resigned in the wake of a diplomatic scandal with Bolivia, BBC News reported.

He quit after a Bolivian opposition politician holed up in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz for more than a year fled the country in a diplomatic car.

A Brazilian official has admitted using his diplomatic immunity to drive the senator across the border without permission from either country.

Senator Roger Pinto was given asylum at the Brazilian embassy last year.

He had been accused of at least 14 crimes in Bolivia, including corruption. He denied the charges and asked for asylum saying he was being persecuted.

Patriota's resignation was announced in a brief statement from the office of President Dilma Rousseff on Monday, August 26.

The same statement named Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Brazil's head of mission at the UN, as the new foreign minister. Patriota is to become Brazil's new UN ambassador, officials said.

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